


Snow Fun

by Calico (Calico321)



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Genre: Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-01
Updated: 2011-06-01
Packaged: 2017-10-20 00:32:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/206900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calico321/pseuds/Calico
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written in response to a request on my story offer on my DeviantArt journal asking for <i>Story set in the winter. Pre-movie setting. From Ruffnut's POV (she sees this happening from a distance) Astrid discovers snow art (you decide what it is) made by Hiccup and her reaction.  This is Hic/Strid but seen from Ruffnut's POV. </i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Snow Fun

"I am so bored." Ruffnut threw her head back in exaggeration so hard her helmet almost flew off. She lifted a hand just in time to settle in back down on her mass of thick blonde braids. She kicked out a foot covered in layers of skins sending a plume of snow ahead of her as she stomped through the woods, pulling her bear fur cloak tighter over her bony shoulders. The air entering her lungs was sharp as needles and turned visible on releasing a breath. She pursed her lips together to make the vapor into interesting shapes. "I wish the dragons would come back already."

"It's not like there isn't a lot to do in winter. Wood isn't going to chop itself."

Ruff's face contorted into a look of dismayed disgust at her friend. Well friend was stretching the word a bit. Astrid was the only other girl in the village around her age and who shared her interests in fighting and weapons; the rest were off prattling about bread and tapestries and, ugh, boys. Of course Astrid wanted to put those fine fighting skills to practical use in saving the village from dragons. Boring! Ruffnut just liked to hurt things. Usually that was her brother, but in a pinch a dragon would do. "Chopping wood? Seriously, you call that fun?"

"No, I call that a necessity. And the chore we were assigned, remember?" There Astrid stood, hand on her hip with that look, that torturous look that said duty and honor and glory and boring!

It occurred to Ruffnut that Astrid would make a perfect chief: completely single-minded and unwavering, and generally good at rallying the troops, at least among their little group. She was the one who gathered everyone up during the raids, tossing buckets into their hands and barking orders to put the flames out. But of course Astrid's family wasn't in line for the chiefdom, not by a long shot. The Thorston's had been one of the original settling families on Berk from what Tuffnut Sr. proudly told them regularly, even longer than the Haddocks, he would add if he had been too far into the ale. But Astrid's grandparents had just shown up from the old country only about twenty years ago, a couple kids in tow and obviously wealthy. After a long meeting with the chief they had made a home in the village with little fanfare. Rumors had run rampant at the time according to Ruff's mother, but no one ever really knew why the Hoffersons came or why they stayed even after the first horrific dragon raid.

Ruffnut dropped her axe and then fell backwards into the fluffy snow, then she slid her arms up and down while scissoring her legs and whipping her head back and forth.

"What are you doing?" Astrid asked with an exasperated tone of voice.

"Look," Ruffnut said with excitement as she leapt up and pointed down where she had disturbed the snow. "It's a Timberjack! Let's make some more."

"Right," Astrid drawled. She adjusted her axe on her back and started walking. "Have fun with that. I'll just do all the chopping myself."

"Come on, Astrid!" Ruffnut yelled after the other girl's retreating back. "Stop being such a stick-in-the-mud and make some with me!" Astrid just kept walking until she disappeared among the thick of trees. "Fine, be that way. Do you even know what fun is?!" She made a noise in the back of her throat and then muttered under her breath, "Loser." Where was Tuffnut when she really needed to hit something?

She picked up the axe with a growl and whipped it around a few times. Like it wasn't bad enough being out in the snowy woods, now she had to be alone? The wet snow that had seeped into the spaces between her clothes began to melt leaving little cold wet trails on her body and she shivered involuntarily. Maybe chopping wood would at least keep her warm, she thought and morosely headed off in the direction Astrid had disappeared, thinking of all the ways to not apologize when she caught up with her.

The tracking wasn't hard as Astrid had left rather distinct footprints so Ruff took her time. The longer it took to get there the fewer logs she'd actually have to split. She started whistling a bawdy tune she'd heard down at the Meade Hall last Frigga's Day, swinging her axe in time. So intent on the tune was she that she didn't notice the root of the big elm tree ahead and when her boot caught it she was sent flying face first into the snow.

Great, now her front was wet too, she groused to herself as she brushed the snow off. Her hands stopped in mid swipe, though, as the sounds of voices drifted to her and her eyebrows furrowed and she cocked an ear to catch the direction it was coming from. Shifting slightly to the left she was sure the voices were a little louder, which was coincidentally where Astrid's footprints veered off to so she tiptoed in that direction, completely forgetting her axe. After a few dozen paces and she was sure she recognized Astrid's voice, but who - or what - was she talking to?

She approached a large tree and pressed against it, slowly inching around its base to peer around to the other side. Ruffnut had to slap a hand across her mouth to prevent herself from laughing out loud. There in a small clearing was Astrid and she was talking with Hiccup - Chief Screw-up and Village Joke. He was speaking in his usual random manner while he was patting at a mound of snow. Astrid stood off to the side - both hands on her hips, which was like Odin himself passing Judgment - watching him.

"Sculpting snow? Why would anyone bother doing that? It's just going to melt."

Hiccup shrugged half-heartedly. "Because it's fun?"

"I'm not seeing the fun."

"Well," he responded and lifted a mittened hand to his head to unconsciously rake his fingers through his hair, but only managed to swipe a trail backwards and cause it to stick out at odd angles. "You make it look like different things. It's the making that matters, not how long it lasts."

"That's just silly," Astrid responded dismissively and turned. "I knew I shouldn't have even bother stopping. I have work to do."

"You could help," Hiccup said quickly and Ruffnut could easily see his pale cheeks flame up after. "I mean I'm having trouble keeping this part up while I add the next one. You know if-if you want to."

Ruffnut grinned wickedly as she anticipated the massive rejection Astrid was going to deliver. Hiccup's disappointment would be epic!

Astrid turned around and stared for a moment, no doubt finding just the right words to make Hiccup feel as small as a Terror. Then she opened her mouth and said, "Okay. But just for a few minutes. I have to get firewood back to the village and Ruff flaked out."

Ruffnut's face dropped in astonishment. She rubbed her ears thinking she must have just been hearing wrong, but there was Astrid walking back towards Hiccup and his silly snow mound.

"Well I could help you after we're done," he offered eagerly.

That only caused Astrid to snort, the closest thing she came to laughing. "I don't know how much help you could be."

Hiccup lifted a shoulder and then grinned slyly. "Let's see how much help you can be here first."

There it was - the challenge to Astrid's competence. It was like waving a red flag at a Nightmare. Ruffnut shook her head. _Nice knowing you, Fishbone_.

"Come on," Astrid said gruffly and placed her hands on the mound. "I don't have a lot of time to waste."

"Yeah, okay, here." Hiccup had leaned over and was gathering snow with his arms. Then he pressed it together firmly until he could lift the whole thing into the air with hardly any falling away. It was about twice the size of his head and he pivoted around in his awkward way and set on the original mound. "Hold it down, while I try mashing them together."

"Whatever," Astrid said wrapped her arms around it. "I don't need a running commentary."

Hiccup smoothed and scraped and dug around until the mound lost its round shape. Ruffnut had no idea what he was trying to make.

"Got a good hold on it?" he asked Astrid.

"Yes," came the sharp reply and he moved back to observe his work, then with a nod started gathering more snow. The next one wasn't nearly as large and he easily set it on top, but slightly angled enough that if he let go it would surely drop to the ground. Again he worked the snow so that it melded with the pile beneath it. It took a lot longer as he pressed and worked at it so that it elongated and flattened and then he carefully pulled his hands away.

"Well," Ruffnut heard Astrid ask.

"I think that will hold."

"Are we done?"

"No. Well I'm not. But I don't need you to hold anything anymore, so I guess if you want to leave..." He trailed off rather pathetically and Ruffnut fully expected Astrid to take the dismissal. Yet once again she did the last thing expected.

"What else do you need?"

Hiccup grinned. "Can you make two snow rolls about this big?" He held his hands apart about the width of his scrawny chest.

"Yeah, sure," Astrid said and bent down to pull snow towards her.

Hiccup pulled a small tool from his belt, but paused a moment to admire the view of Astrid on all fours. Ruffnut rolled her eyes and felt the urge to pelt the kid with a snowball. Rousing himself Hiccup approached the snow mound, which was just a head shorted than he was. He peered at it closely for several moments before confidently taking the tool and approaching it. He delicately began scraping away at various parts, careful not to dig too deep or hard lest the whole thing come crumbling down. First he did the top, carving both sides of the elongated mound equally, and then he dropped to his knees and worked at the middle before moving to the back and making a quick adjustment on the ground.

Astrid had finished her assignment and stood just watching him with her arms crossed over her chest. Her head was tilted to one side as she observed the marks he was creating with interest. Finally he stood up and Ruffnut could see he was absently chewing on his lip.

"What do you think?" he asked Astrid.

"I'm not sure. It sort of looks familiar but not really?"

Hiccup laughed. "Well the most important part isn't on yet." He lifted one of the snow rolls and held it out for her to hold then picked up the other. Ever so gently he set the end of the roll on the back of the topmost mound, face screwing up as he was obviously making every effort to combine the two with only the barest amount of effort, but it wouldn't quite stay and he swore under his breath.

Astrid set her roll back down and stepped forward so she could place a steadying hand beneath the mound. Hiccup smiled in appreciation and went back to work joining the two pieces of snow into one. When he slowly removed his hands it stayed in place and the two shared a triumphant grin before Astrid cleared her throat and quickly looked away.

They repeated the process with the second roll of snow right next to the first and then they were able to move away from the piece and admire the finished product.

Ruffnut stared at it from her hiding spot, mouth agape. She could see it, she really could. The nose, the legs, and of course the ears

"It's a rabbit!" Astrid declared and slowly moved around the sculpture in wonderment. Sure enough it was. It was the image of a rabbit caught in a moment of curiosity sitting back on its rear feet, front legs hanging at its chest, with its nose sniffing the air. "Ooh!" she exclaimed like child and pointed at the back. "It's even got a little cottontail!"

Hiccup was grinning like a maniac at her response and Ruffnut wanted to vomit. But she did have to admit she never would have imagined a heap of snow looking so much like a small woodland creature.

He opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a high-pitched croaking, so he cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm glad you like it."

"I do," she said softly. "And, uh, I guess you were right. Making it was kind of fun." She stared down at her feet and plucked at her wool skirt.

"Good. I mean, well, yeah, um." He looked around for a bit, completely at a loss for what to do.

Ruffnut groaned and slapped her forehead. "Kiss her, you dumb twit," she muttered to herself then grimaced at what she had said. Who cared about kissing and tripe like that? But she was sure that - just for a moment - Astrid's guard was down enough that _she_ would care about it. Plus it would be a Hel of a good story to tell the others later over warm mead, even if it meant some extra bruises courtesy of Astrid.

But instead of making the most out of any situation, Hiccup always made the worst of it. He began to chuckle nervously and move around and somehow managed to _trip on snow_ if that were even possible and he fell face first into the sculpture causing the whole thing to collapse. "Oops," he said as he lifted himself off the crumbled mess.

Astrid's face fell in disappointed shock, but quickly hardened to her normal scowl. "Told you it was a waste of time," she bit out and turned on her heel.

"It's okay!" he called to her. "I can make it again!"

"Forget it. It's almost noon. I need to get that wood. Bye, Hiccup."

"But-but I was going to help you."

She stopped but didn't turn. "Don't bother," she said in a voice colder than the winter air around them. "You'd just end up losing and arm or a leg anyway. Go back to playing in the snow."

Hiccup's head fell till his chin rested on his chest, but he managed to say, "Okay. See you around I guess."

"If I'm really unlucky," Ruffnut heard Astrid mutter and it was apparent Hiccup heard it as well as the humiliation she had hoped for earlier finally descended on him. But it wasn't as entertaining now, it was more pathetic and embarrassing.

"Crap!" Ruffnut said, remembering she'd dropped axe. She rushed back to retrieve it, then walked well around the clearing and caught up with Astrid who was laying into a tree with the heat of a mid-July sun even though there was already a felled one nearby. "Hey," Ruffnut called casually as she joined her. "Need some help?"

"Yeah, whatever," Astrid muttered. "Done playing around?"

Ruffnut shrugged and joined her friend at the tree. Ten minutes later with a loud crack, it tumbled over sending up a flurry of snow as it landed heavily.

"Rabbit," Ruffnut said casually as the two girls took a moment to catch their breath.

Astrid's head whipped towards her with wide eyes. "What!"

Ruff nodded her head towards the top of the tree. "There was a rabbit hopping by. Maybe we should go catch it. Rabbit stew sounds good for supper."

"No," Astrid responded dully. "It doesn't. Just get to chopping."

"Whatever you say."

 

~ The End


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